Winter's Child
by firechild99
Summary: Jemma has been living in a state home ever since she was three. When her twin brother disappeared, life became much harder for her. At thirteen years old something changed and she began to show her powers, leading her to be recruited into the Avengers Initiative.
1. Prologue

_Keep your head down. Don't look anyone in the eye. Speaking will get you in trouble._

Just a few of the many things I had learned as a result of living in a state home for all thirteen years of my life. I know, orphanages are cliché, but they exist. The rules help as I walk down the hallway at school.

_Two more hours. You can do this, Jemma._

It should have been easy enough. I'd been through years of this. But today, everything seems a lot more difficult. People laugh as I walk past them. Normally I'd assume they were laughing at something else but today the laughing only seems to start when I'm around. Good thing I've learned to ignore it.

As I pass yet another classroom on my way to the art studio, someone shoves me into the wall. My books fall but my voice fails me as I turn around, a phone being shoved in my face.

"Is this you?" Sasha demands to know. I quickly scan the screen and wonder why the most popular girl in school has a zoomed-in picture of me. I nod and she shoves me harder. "Why are you with my boyfriend?" She yells.

My mouth opens to protest until she zooms out of the picture, showing a candid photo of me sitting on a park bench with Chris. I can tell it's photo shopped; the shirt I'm wearing in the picture is the same one I wore to lunch yesterday.

"That's me, yes but... um... someone edited him there?" I try.

Sasha just shoves me and I fall sideways to the ground, catching sight of one of the other kids from the state home. He laughs and walks away with his brother and I know he did it. The fucker does anything and everything to get me in trouble, whether with the authorities or other kids.

Just like every other time, a hint of rage rises in me, but this time something feels different. It's as if someone has poured hot water on my shoulders; the heat rushes down my body and moves towards my hands. Somehow I push it down and try to not make things look any worse as it subsides.

"You sent that picture to her, didn't you?" I yell as I confront Gavin in the basement, where we're least likely to be heard. I know it's not smart to accuse him of this while his brother and his friends are here, but something in me has been dying to punch him all day. He just laughs.

"Of course I did, you retard."

My cheeks burn. "Don't say that."

"Why not? It's not like you're passing any of your classes," He says.

"It's your fault!" I yell. "You're the reason I can't fucking pass!"

He feigns surprise. "No shit."

"You're the damn reason I can't sleep at night. You're the reason I wake up and want to cry. You-"

"I thought that was your brother's fault," he says just a little too innocently. "You know, since he disappeared on you."

He crossed the line. I can feel the heat coming down my shoulders again. "Stop talking."

"Or," Gavin says, "it's your fault. He didn't want to take care of you."

I cover my face. "Shut up!"

"He hated you. That's why he left all those years ago and _never. Came. Back._"

I scream and foolishly run at him, not caring if someone hears us. Gavin's a fucking prick, but I never thought he'd stoop so low.

Ducking under his outstretched arms, my palms hit him straight in the chest. He falls backwards and his brother steps up and grabs my arm, flinging me at the wall. I cry out as my head connects with the pipe leading to the electrical box, which the father of the house forgot to close this morning after fixing a shortage. My hand slams against the open box and I can feel the tip of my finger brush against a bare wire. A jolt of power surges through me and the heat explodes, coursing through my body and shooting out my hands.

I can barely believe my eyes as fire bursts from my palms, the orange flames dancing on my fingers while only being mildly warm. I see Gavin in the corner of my eye, lunging towards me, and I instinctively jump away from the wall and swing my arm at him. Flames arc through the air and miss him by at least a foot, causing the battered couch to ignite. The other kids in the basement scream and rush up the stairs as I try to subdue whatever's going on. The heat running through my body is hotter than the actual flames and I visualize the energy going back up my chest and out my shoulders, watching as the flames disappear through my fingertips.

By now the fire has spread to the table and I'm the only one in the basement. I run up the stairs and slam against the door, frantically jiggling the locked handle.

"Gavin!" I yell. "Unlock it! Please!" Either he's not there or the crackling of the growing flames is drowning out any reply. I can do nothing but sit at the top of the stairs waiting for someone to open the door because I'm nowhere near strong enough to bust it down. As the flames grow and start moving up the stairs, I press myself harder against the door and try not to breath in too much smoke. Oddly enough, the ever-nearing fire doesn't feel as hot as it should, more like I'm sitting in the sun on a hot day. A tendril of flame licks at my bare feet and it doesn't even mildly burn. Unfortunately, whatever immunity I now have doesn't apply to smoke. It becomes harder and harder to breathe until the room is filled.

_I can't breathe. Oh my god I'm going to die._

My vision blurs and I slump against the door.

_"__Sever intake of smoke, no burns or injuries."_

I can see light through my eyelids. The brightness of it scared me and I refuse to open them. There are voices, many of them, and a siren somewhere in the distance. From the back of my mind I remember a fire, heat running through me and...

The fire. The fire was coming out of my palms. Something happened when the electricity went through my body.

My eyes snap open and the world around me focuses. The sudden memory makes me anxious and I feel my breath shortening, my chest heaving for air. There's something in my mouth and _I can't breathe oh my god I can't breathe_

"Someone get the pump out of her mouth! It's choking her!"

I stare up at a bright light as someone removes the contraption, allowing me to breathe deeply. The light harshens and I blink, turning my head to avoid it. I notice I'm on a stretcher, the ambulance it arrived in several feel next to me. There's a woman in a doctor's coat to my side. I feel crowded; there's too many people around.

"Can you hear me?"

I whip my head around to see a man standing on my right.

"I'll take that as a yes."

As I look up at him, my eyes linger on the eye patch covering his left eye.

"Wh..." My throat is too dry to speak and it feels like I've swallowed sand. I can't complete my question.

"You inhaled a lot of smoke. I'd be surprised if you could speak right now. Then again," he says, looking at me. "I'm surprised you're not burnt to a crisp."

I glance down and realize I'm covered in ash, my clothes covered in burn marks.

The man kneels next to me. "Do you remember a fire?"

I nod slightly.

"Do you remember what caused the fire?"

I consider lying. I've read too many books to think that anything good comes out of burning a house down, much less doing it with your own hands. Literally. I almost stay silent but my fingers involuntarily twitch and I nod again.

After the doctor leaves, I look back up at him. "Me," I whisper. It's all I can manage; I really need some water.

"Do you know how you started the fire?"

This part scares me. I can't tell him the truth. I don't know who he is, why he's here; I can't even believe my own memories. Unable to answer fully, I shrug.

"It's okay. You're not in trouble." My eyes must have displayed my disbelief because he sighed. "We – the organization I work with – has been expecting something like this. Mystery fire, mystery kid who doesn't get burned."

I can't believe this. No way could he have expected it. I didn't even know I could do anything until today. I almost protest until a woman walks up next to him.

The first thing I notice about her is her hair. The red stands out in the fluorescent lights of the ambulance.

"Anything?" She says as if unsure what she expects for an answer.

He nods. "Natasha, I need you to contact Stark. Ask him if fire fits the pattern." The woman walks off and I'm left alone with him. The doctor seems to have gone over to make sure the other kids are okay. I hope Gavin's ridiculous amount of hair gel caught fire.

I shut my eyes, willing all of this to never have happened. Surely I would get in some sort of trouble.

"Tell me your name." It's not a demanding tone, but I feel compelled to answer.

"Jemma." The syllables etch pain into my throat and I get the idea they're trying to make me die of dehydration.

"Jemma, do you like living here?"

I stiffen. He's probably with Child Protective Service or the foster program. Even though I don't want to be moved to a foster family, I shake my head.

"Good. Because you need to come with us."

**This is an Avengers FanFic. Because it's the prologue, we haven't met most of them yet (aside from Natasha and Fury). It's my first story up here so reviews are appreciated very much!**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

A spurt of plasma whips past my head.

"Nat! They're closing in!" I don't know if she heard me but if she didn't, I'm as good as dead. The Chitauri have been pouring out of the portal for at least fifteen minutes and it doesn't look like they're going to stop anytime soon. Stark is trying to find time between fighting to figure out how to shut the Tesseract off; I hope he can find a way before the Chitauri break past the Avengers.

I duck around the corner of a building, just barely managing to avoid one of the alien vessels. I think I can see Nat a few blocks away. With awe, I watch as she jumps on the back of an alien and manages to take control of its ride. I've been in the Avengers for two years now and I'm nowhere near as good as her.

_Focus._

Rushing out from behind the building, I flick my pointer finger up and relish the smooth movements of my gloves. After Fury took me to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters the night I started the fire, Stark figured out that electricity greatly increased my power. He'd made me gloves that connected to metal implants in my hands, which enabled the gloves to send electricity through my body. Nobody knows where my powers come from yet.

The orange tip on my pointer finger comes ablaze, signaling that the energy has begun to flow and I feel the heat coming down my shoulders. I've been trained to associate each finger with a power; pointer means fire, thumb means invisibility. Stark thinks there's another one. Flicking my thumb, I watch as the Chitauri become confused from fire spurting out of nowhere. The heat runs over me as I call upon it; I haven't pushed it down since the day the fire started and I've felt all the better for it.

After at least an hour of fighting, I can feel my limits closing in. Even in training, we always stopped after forty-five minutes of continuous action. I'm going to have to ramp up my exercise regimen. I thank the Lord when Nat speaking over the intercom gives me an excuse to rest.

_"__Stark! I got the portal. We have to close it."_

I allow my invisibility to protect me as I gaze up at the Avengers tower. Somehow Nat has made it up to the roof and I smile when I see the smoking remains of the vessel she stole. She's holding something in her hands and I realize with relief that it's pierced the energy field around the Tesseract.

_"__You can't. Someone in S.H.I.E.L.D. fired a missile and it's headed straight for the center of Manhattan. I'm gonna try to get it through the portal."_

Something that I assume is Stark zooms above my head and my invisibility flickers.

"Shit!"

The Chitauri have begun firing at me and I flick both fingers again, whirling around as I toss flames at the aliens. Unfortunately my aim hasn't improved much since I lit a chair on fire instead of Gavin. It takes several tries before I can take down all the ones near me.

_"__Jemma, you still with us?" _Came the Captain's voice.

I lift my wrist and speak into the communicator, compliments of Nat. She has the same one.

"I say wait for the missile. A few more aliens is nothing compared to the damage it'll cause."

I look around for Stark. The red and gold of his suit isn't too hard to find against the silver (albeit damaged) buildings and blue sky. When I see the missile on his back, I gasp. It's huge. I have a bad feeling about it; S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't send a missile against an entire city.

Sneaking around the corner of the building again, I survey the amount of Chitauri near me. I push past my exhaustion and rush at the nearest one, flicking flames at it. They miss by only a couple inches this time, singing the back of its neck. I'd learned the weak spot was the area right near the hairline on the neck where the chains connecting it to the vehicle protruded.

I know I have to get closer but taking out their javelins looks to be a challenge. I flick the invisibility on and creep closer. Knowing that using fire when I'm so close to them is a bad idea, I silently slide a knife out of my belt and hope that Stark's new design is effective.

The Chitauri yells out in a garbled voice, turning around and trying to reach me as I jump onto its back and slice at the neck. To my relief the blade cuts right through, severing whatever it is that keeps them alive. As the life ebbs out of it, the Chitauri flings me off of it in one final act of violence. I land on my side, rolling over a bit to get to a standing position. I look up and see the rest of the Chitauri closing in. I have just managed to flick my thumb and run when an incredibly loud _boom _comes from above me.

_Dear god, I hope that's not the missile…_

I dash into a building and lock the door, feeling safe enough to abandon my cautiousness and look out the window. A bright light is emanating from the portal in the sky and I know Stark got the missile through. There are triumphant cheers through the intercom.

_"__Stark, get out of there! I need to close the portal now!"_

There is no answer. My stomach drops and I watch as the Chitauri all drop to the ground. Sliding to the floor, I hope something hasn't happened. My worst fears are confirmed when Nat speaks again.

_"__Cap, he hasn't answered. I have to close it."_

"No..." I whisper. Nobody hears my desperate plea as I saw Nat push the scepter into the portal. Half expecting something to explode, I shut my eyes and wait for the aftershock. I have no idea if connecting the Tesseract with Loki's scepter will have catastrophic results or not.

Nothing happens. Then, after a couple seconds, there's silence. I hadn't realized it, but there had been an omnipresent bass tone of the machine since it opened. The silence is almost deafening but comforting.

_"__Shit!"_

Steve sounds almost frantic.

_"__He's falling! He must have made it through the portal but it doesn't look like his suit is functional. Thor, can you get him?"_

I'd thought we'd left the sound of cracking glass and crumbling buildings behind but suddenly the wall I'm leaning against shakes and something hits it from above. As I scream and jump away from the window, I'm certain something else had come through the portal, but it's only the Hulk catching Stark. He lands right outside the window and I tentatively step out of the building, not sure of how to approach him. Steve runs from the street where he had been keeping the Chitauri to a perimeter and kneels next to Stark.

There's no reaction, no sudden intake of breath or dramatic opening of the eyes. He doesn't seem to be breathing, but that could just be the suit covering it up. I've almost given up hope but then the Hulk roars, whether out of rage or desperation, I don't know. This seems to scare Stark awake and he's suddenly gasping for air, eyes searching for potential enemies.

Steve looks up, relieved and anxious. "We've still got to deal with Loki."

Suddenly the intercom buzzes to life and I stand up, wondering if there's danger somewhere.

_"__You guys got Stark, right?"_

I look at Steve, who nods. "You do the honors."

Smiling, I bring my wrist to my mouth and press the "Broadcast to All" button. This means everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. will be able to hear what I say and I don't want to mess up my first broadcast.

"All clear." I say triumphantly.

I'm sure the agents back on the helicarrier are cheering at our success. It took a lot out of us and I'm surprised we're all managing to stay standing.

"Okay Nat, stay at the tower. Loki's in the main reception room and we've got to get him under control." Steve says.

_"__Got it. Barton's with me too and we're taking care of Selvig."_

As Steve helps Stark up, I wander in the general direction of the Avengers Tower. I wonder if we'll still be staying there like we do every night after a mission. Sure, the rest of the team has their own housing, but I live there, thanks to Stark. I'm not exactly going to go back to the state home.

We make our way to the tower, Thor preferring to fly up there. Stark's suit is so badly damaged he has to walk with us and I take the opportunity to test my new line of pranks.

I've been perfecting my ability to walk silently, all the better to help with my invisibility. It only takes a few quick taps to get Banner's attention and he quickly becomes agitated, having come back from the Hulk only minutes before. I recognize the sign and stop before he becomes uncontrollable.

The others are more fun to prank. Stark is so astonished when his helmet suddenly flips back down over his face and I break my disguise laughing while he trips.

I pull completely out of the invisibility and stand over Stark as he struggles to get up with his not-quite-functioning suit. The look on his face hardens into one of mock anger and as soon as he manages to stand he rushed at me. I laugh and halfheartedly run away until he picks me up by the waist and swings me, catapulting me down the street. Even without the mechanical strength of the suit he can still throw me pretty far.

As I land delicately on my feet, I look back at him and smirk.

"Is that the best you got, Iron _Boy?" _

I turn and run all the way to the Avengers Tower with the rest of them chasing after.

By the time I've reached the front door of the lobby, I'm hunched over and slightly out of breath. I'm pushing my body too much by running that far after such a battle, but I relish the speed of running. Walking is too slow. From the base of the tower I can look around and see a lot of the damage from the battle. The line of crushed windows extends far in both directions and I'm just glad I don't have to deal with that.

Stark claims his suit is functioning and JARVIS is back up again. He tries to get me to fly up the side of the tower with him straight to the entrance porch, but the gashes in his armor showing open wires doesn't convince me I won't accidentally use my power. I take my chances with the elevator.

Once we're up in the reception lobby, Natasha runs from where she was standing next to Thor and hugs me tight.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for that last part! Are you hurt? Are you o-"

"She was amazing," Steve cuts her off. "Her accuracy is getting better and better."

Nat looks at Steve pointedly.

"But is she _okay?"_

"I'm fine," I say, only a little bit exasperated. "Just a little bruised. Maybe a sprained ankle. Nothing big. I think the person we should be worrying about is Stark. He fell pretty hard."

By now he's working on disassembling his armor and I can tell it's hard for him to stand straight. He walks over to the bar with a limp and I subtly move over to the wall, using a panel to tell JARVIS not to let him leave the tower without getting patched up.

The soft blanket on my bed is cool to the touch as I slide into bed. Before turning the light out, I gaze at my room. Thankfully I'm able to stay here while Stark works on getting thinks fixed. Two years ago, or very nearly, this room had been sparsely decorated, with only a bed and a bedside table. Thanks to me, it now has a queen sized bed with a memory foam mattress, bright green patterned sheets and comforter, blue carpeting, and green polka dot walls. It doesn't quite match the rest of the tower, but everything within these walls is something I can finally call mine.

I muse over the idea of reading one of my many books before bed but instead decide to just lay down and reflect upon the day. The battle had taken a lot out of us and it was hard to perform our usual traditions. We ate pizza tiredly and almost everyone fell asleep at some point during the movie. It was my pick so we watched _White House Down. _Stark said he'd love to blow up the White House.

Because the light switch is right next to my bed, which is pushed against one of the back corners, it doesn't take too much effort to turn out the lights. I smile when I see the glow-in-the-dark stars I'd put on the ceiling. Ever since Selena had snuck me out of the state home to go stargazing, I'd dreamed of having stars in my room.

The sheets are all tangled up with my comforter so it takes me a little while to find my stuffed leopard. Toys weren't very common for me and I always feel better with something to hang onto at night.

Silence envelopes me when I finally get comfortable. It reminds me of the silence after the portal closed and for the first time I wish it wasn't so quiet at night. But, if it hadn't been quiet, I might not have heard the sounds outside my window. That could very well have saved me.

I sit up, trying to determine whether it was a noise of the city or something else. I have no porch and the windowsill on the outside of the building isn't very large so it can't be a person. When I hear the noise again, I get out of bed and silently cross to the window. The darkness in my room makes it easier for the city lights to illuminate the world around me. I can't see much, just the roofs of a bunch of buildings because the Avengers Tower is so high. I almost turn to go back to bed until I see someone on a roof about three buildings away. The roof places the person either at the same height or a floor below me and it looks like he's holding...

_A gun oh shit it's a gun what do I_

CRACK

I barely manage to duck before the window shatters. "STARK!" I scream. For good measure I crawl to my door and pound the emergency button. That should get him awake.

I hunch down it the place least vulnerable from the window and try to keep myself from hyperventilating. As I look around I see a bullet lodged in the wall directly behind the window.

_Oh my god he shot at me why would he want to shoot at me_

It's mere minutes before Stark comes barging into my room.

"There's a gun! Get down!" I cry out.

He drops to the floor, just barely avoiding another bullet that comes through the shattered window.

"What's going on?"

"I- I don't know. There's a man on a roof with a gun. Can you get th-the suit functional?" I stutter, panic taking hold of me.

He nods and leaves. "Try to get somewhere without any windows."

The bathroom.

In the few minutes it takes me to get to the bathroom I have heard nothing from Stark. Of course, that may be because I left my com in my room. After locking the door I sit against the wall, my knees to my chest. I hear nothing from outside.

**Hey guys! Thanks for the follows, I hope you're enjoying so far. I'm not sure how long this story will be, but I hope to actually complete it. Please don't forget to review as I'm still a beginner and would love the help! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 2

I stare wistfully at my collection of earrings. Ever since joining the Avengers, I've been given an allowance so long as I help out around Avengers Tower. I use my time off to go out and relax by myself in New York, maybe even hang out with an acquaintance. But since the missions have been piling up, I haven't been able to wear any in forever. Nat says they're dangerous; one wrong punch in the side of the head could send the sharp end straight into my neck.

Stark had never found the shooter. I'd been so worried, waiting for him for over half an hour, hearing nothing. When he finally got back I was relieved yet scared that the shooter was still out there. Since he'd never seen the shooter, Fury had asked me to describe him. I couldn't remember much. I did tell him I noticed a strange reflection on his left arm from the moonlight. When I said this, Nat had tensed up, but I don't know why.

Absentmindedly, I sit down on my bed and trace the lines of the computer chip on my right hand. Whenever my gloves aren't on, the metal is exposed. At first it was cold but now it's at a constant state of body temperature, never noticeable. I'm so accustomed to the rigidness of the metal that I tend to forget it's there. As my fingertip runs over the patterns, I think about when Stark made them for me.

I jump a little as the com on my table buzzes to life. I can't hear the faint voice so I bring it to my ear.

"Can you repeat that? I couldn't hear what you said."

_"__Jeez, Jemma, get a grip. We need you down in the lobby. Coulson's here with a new assignment."_

I gently yell at Nat and get my stuff. The metal disks that attach to my hands and transform to the gloves easily fit in the back pockets of my jeans. I hook the com around my ear and make sure it's snug, also checking the volume. Once Stark was trying to get our attention during an assignment and I was nearly deafened.

Looking around, I try to remember if there's anything I forgot. I walk out of my room content, still tracing the back of my hand.

The elevator ride is long and boring. My room is on one of the upper floors and because the building is pretty much a tower, it takes a while to get all the way to the bottom. I'm just glad Barton isn't here; he stays a floor up sometimes and we're in that awkward friend/acquaintance state so it's always uncomfortably silent.

Once I reach the bottom floor, I try to think of the last time I saw Coulson in person. It was months ago, most of our assignments being given electronically. He only comes for the more important one.

_You only perfected silence a few weeks ago..._

I smile.

I make sure to enter behind Nat, who doesn't know I'm there. It saves me the trouble of explaining why a door opens on its own. Coulson's on the other side of the room so I have to make my way around the edge, trying not to bump into any furniture. I can tell he's getting a little impatient and I hurry up. Soon I'm right behind him and I yell, pushing him forward. Everyone in the room – the rest of the group – is startled and I break my invisibility laughing again. Unfortunately Coulson is a pretty low-key person so he isn't very fazed.

"Come on, Coulson. You could at least try to act scared," I pout.

He smiles.

"Just try not to do that on your assignment, Jemma."

"Why would I do that on an assignment? Assignments are serious."

Taking out the folder he'd brought with him, Coulson turns to Steve, the unofficial leader of our group.

"This one's a little less exciting. There's a banquet for the current owner of Apple celebrating the release of the iPhone 60 or whatever. His daughter's going to be there and he just wants a little extra protection."

I giggle and start bouncing up and down, clapping my hands together.

"You mean I'll get to wear a dress?" I say excitedly.

He nods.

"And _jewelry?"_

Coulson gestures to Nat.

"What do you do in your free time? It's like she's been living under a rock."

I just laugh and twirl around squealing. I know I have the perfect dress for tonight.

My eyes are closed. I can feel Nat's quick fingers pinning my hair up, the cold metal pressed against the back of my neck. I'm not sure what she's doing but from the amount of time it's taking, it must be very elaborate. My dress is already on as to avoid messing up my hair trying to get it over my head. Makeup will be applied after hair.

"Just... one... last... done!" she says triumphantly.

I open my eyes and slowly get up to look in the full body mirror but she pushed me back into the chair in the full-sized bathroom.

"Oh no. You don't get to see until everything's ready."

Sighing, I accept another twenty minutes in the chair.

"Will it take long? I don't want you to have to rush."

"Don't worry. I already rush everything I do."

"Did you rush my hair? Because I want it to look perfect."

I hear her laugh softly behind me.

"Almost everything. Now close your eyes again."

A smile plays on my lips as the makeup brush is swept across my face. I'm not too familiar with makeup so all I recognize are the blush, eye shadow, and lip gloss.

"Okay honey, you need to open your eyes for the mascara."

I groan. The last time she tried to put mascara on me, she almost poked my eye out.

"Do you have too? I value my eyesight."

She gives me a playful shove, but not enough to mess up my hair.

"With all this makeup, not having it will look weird. Plus, you need to look the part."

"Right. Who am I again?"

I try not to flinch as I look up and down, the mascara brush coming anxiously close to my eyes.

"You're Cassandra Moore, daughter of the second-in-command of Apple. Even though he and Mr. Ross are good friends, you haven't met Grace yet because you've been studying at a super-expensive private school."

"Wow," I snort. "Could I sound any more pretentious?"

Nat grins as she moves the damned mascara away from my face.

"Nope. You couldn't look more pretentious either. Come see."

It takes all I have not to trip, what with the combination of my heels and dress. I consider myself somewhat ladylike even if I don't necessarily have all the skills. The material of my gown makes it feel as if I am floating over the wall mirror and I'm actually somewhat excited to look.

Stepping in front of the glass, I gasp.

"Nat... wow."

My face has transformed yet stayed the same. Masterful strokes of Nat's brush have highlighted glamorous features I didn't know I had. The contours of my face look smoother, more elegant. The minimal amount of eye makeup makes my green eyes stand out but I'm still recognizable. The copious amount of pins in my hair hold it in a fancy half pony, swirling at the back of my head with the rest cascading behind me.

And the dress... the dress. I hadn't put it on since the fitting room and since then I'd been able to grow into it. The jade of the dress fading into slight sapphire at the bottom brings out the color of my eyes and the sash at the waistline makes my figure look more mature.

"This is... um..."

"Perfect," Nat finishes.

I smile. "Yeah. I look almost as good as you now."

She reaches her arms around me for a careful hug.

"We're all perfect in our own way."

Music flows softly from the concert hall as the limo pulls up to the entrance. Life with the Avengers is comfortable, yes, but not this luxurious. I know I spent at least three fourths of the drive over marveling at the interior of the car.

Steve, ever the gentleman, opens the door and helps Nat and I step out of the limo. I can't help but notice how gorgeous she is in a turquoise blue dress and jewelry with her hair pulled up in a bun. The red and blue complement each other. However, I know she's not all glamour tonight. Each one of us has concealed weapons and I can feel the cold metal of the gun strapped to my thigh. My gloves are in an inner pocket covered by the sash and I'm wearing light green silk gloves to conceal the computer chips.

As we walk into the concert hall, my breath catches. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The floor is all tiled marble and the walls are covered with gold leaf and paintings. I nearly break my neck trying to look up at the chandeliers.

When I look back down, I notice the rest of them have spread out. I'm left alone standing near the entrance, gaping like an idiot.

_Great._

I slowly walk around, unsure of what to do. All Coulson told me was that I was in charge of Grace Ross, so I assume the others were on her father.

Looking at everyone there, I deem it impossible to find her in the crowd of people. The concert hall is huge so there must be at least a few hundred.

_"__Hey. Jemma. You good?" _Stark whispers.

I turn to my left and see him hovering near the wall, his eye on one of the mean near the front.

_"__Kinda. I don't know how I'm going to find Grace in this mess."_

We're wearing different communicators tonight so I don't need to bring my wrist to my face. Good thing, too, otherwise I'd look weird.

_"__She's the one in the light blue strapless dress, blonde hair and matching blue streaks."_

_Great, _I thought. _A blond._

I try to look casual as I scan the thrum of people. It makes sense to me that she'd be near the front where her father is. Slowly, I make my way through the crowd, trying not to bump into too many people. Nat must have made me look older because waiters keep offering me champagne.

Once I've reached the front, I suddenly spot her. The blond of her hair stands out. Soon I'm right next to her and I greet her enthusiastically, hoping Coulson remembered to send her my picture. Otherwise things will just get awkward.

"Hey Grace! I'm Jemma." I say, holding out my hand.

She turns towards me and what looks like a perpetually annoyed expression slides off her face.

"Oh hello! I thought you were one of those waitresses trying to get me to notice them for a second." I can tell from the tone of her high voice she doesn't think much of those who serve her.

"Yeah, um. Hi."

_Awkward part over? _I wonder.

Nope.

The rest of the night remains awkward, the small talk getting increasingly smaller. Soon we eventually give up conversation and stand near each other to look like we're socializing.

I look up startled as someone stands up on the small stage, a loud noise resonating from the front of the hall. I automatically reach for my gun until I realize it's just Mr. Ross trying to get everyone's attention through excessive clapping. A few seconds later it's almost dead silent in the hall and I have a feeling he's going to make some sort of speech.

"Does your dad normally make long speeches?" I whisper to Grace.

"Sometimes. Depends on the event."

I sigh. As much as I love being beautiful, my feet hurt and I want to go home and sleep. We've been here for almost three hours; it must be at least midnight.

Tuning Mr. Ross out, I almost fall asleep on my feet when suddenly we're being ushered onstage. Apparently he called us up to thank us for our support and I have to go up to keep my cover intact.

I stand up there next to Grace, trying to look as elegant and un-awkward as possible. It's hard when all I want to do is lie down and fall asleep. There are harsh lights facing us and I barely manage to stop myself from squinting completely. I just hope there aren't any cameras.

As Mr. Ross ends his speech I slump down a bit, grateful for the chance to go home. I run as well as I can in my heels and almost make it down the stage stairs without tripping. Almost.

The toe of my shoe catches on my gown and I pitch forward, my arms flung out to catch myself. As I trip a loud BANG resonates through the room and I hear people begin to scream.

_Was that a gunshot?_

Somehow I manage to grab hold of the railing and stop myself from falling completely. I look up and see with horror a bullet hole right where I had been.

_This is why we're here. Someone tried to assassinate Mr. Ross. Wait. Where's Grace?_

I stand up quickly and opt to take my heels off. Gazing out at the crowd I notice Nat and Steve sliding out their guns, searching for whoever fired. I stiffen as I walk down the rest of the stairs when I realize that I would have been shot if I hadn't moved. Not Mr. Ross.

"Steve!" I whisper into the com. "I think it's the same man from the other night."

I run back up and inspect the bullet hole, looking for the direction it came from. I turn around and see that one of the windows has shattered and through the window...

_Oh my god._

Another shot rings out as I dive from the stage, rolling to a kneeling position and taking out my gun. I rapid fire out the open window, ignoring the screams of the party-goers. With ease I slide my gloves out of my sash and discard the silk. Knowing now that I'm the target of tonight, I flick the invisibility and look for a back door. I'm still standing in front of the window and I think I can tell the man is injured. Now that I'm looking at him for more than two seconds, I see the source of the reflection. His whole left arm is completely metal with a red star standing out on the shoulder. He raises that arm and time seems to slow down.

The world stops around me as I watch the miniscule movement of his trigger finger. Being invisible lulled me into a false sense of security and I realize whatever goggles he's wearing allow him to see me. Somehow I can hear the click of the gun, almost imperceptible. Nothing happens.

Then suddenly pain explodes through me. It radiates through my shoulders in waves of agonizing burning, not comforting like the heat of my power. As I fall I see him turn and walk away. My scream echoes throughout the concert hall and suddenly I'm on the ground, my chest on fire. Concerned faces stare down at me and several people look like they're calling the police.

As I'm slipping out of consciousness I see Nat's face directly over mine and I'm dimly aware of her shaking me.

_"__Please, Jemma please, stay with me Jemma..."_

I flick the invisibility off as the world turns black.

**New chapter! I hope to make a regular uploading schedule, it all depends on my schoolwork. I've posted a poll on my profile that pertains to the future of this story so you all should vote! Thank you and please don't forget to review!**


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